Get a 6 Pack the Easy Way

The idea of getting the perfect six pack abs is everywhere. Look at a magazine and celebrities on the cover are sporting a flat belly or a perfect six pack. Turn on the TV and you’ll see an advertisement showing a perfect six pack and some gimmick that you can buy to have the same body.

Listen to your friends and family and you’ll hear comments like “I wish I had a flat stomach” or “I can’t seem to get a six pack no matter how many sit-ups I do” that make you wonder how on earth those celebs get their physique.

The fact is that getting a perfect stomach takes hard work and dedication. You will need to make changes to your dietary habits, burn the fat from your entire body and build up your muscles. Shortcuts do not work when you want the perfect stomach and those expensive gimmicks from TV are less helpful than you would expect.

Fortunately, anyone is able to get a perfect six pack as long as the effort, dedication and planning is put into effect.

Nutrition

Nutrition is one of the major keys to getting the perfect six pack abs. Whether you are man or woman, what you eat determines the fat accumulation on your body and how your body uses the nutrients. High calorie and low nutrient foods, such as cookies or cakes, will ultimately result in fat accumulation, particularly around the belly.

Eating a healthy diet will not only eliminate those cravings for foods that are unhealthy as your body gets the nutrients it needs, but it will also give you more energy, stamina and better overall health. A healthy body is vital to getting the perfect physique you are striving toward and it is only possible if you eat a healthy diet.

Carbs

Carbohydrates in your diet are a necessity when you want a healthy nutrition plan. Carbohydrates, otherwise known as carbs, give the body the energy necessary to move and work properly. In fact, carbs are the main source of energy for the body and thus should make up a large portion of your diet.

Carbs are found in all fruits and vegetables. By adding more fruit and vegetables to your diet, you will find that you add nutrients in the form of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and healthy carbohydrates. At the same time, you lower the number of calories eaten during the day because fruits and vegetables are naturally low in calories.

Another great source of carbohydrates for a healthy diet is whole grain foods. Whole grain bread and pasta not only provide carbohydrates, but also give the body fiber. While the body does not actually digest fiber, it is a necessary part of maintaining a healthy colon because it naturally removes toxins.

Adding some beans or lentils to your diet will also provide healthy carbohydrate sources. Beans and lentils are full of both carbohydrates and proteins. While it is primarily toted as a source of protein, the carbs found in beans or lentils are also a necessary component to your diet.

Fats

Fat is another necessary component to a healthy and nutritious diet. You might question how fat is healthy and helps with gaining those perfect six pack abs and the answer is that it provides the body with the endurance to keep up with exercise.

Fat stored in the body is the energy the body needs in times of starvation and during exercise that requires endurance and stamina. Furthermore, fats are a necessary part of maintaining healthy joints and cells throughout the body. Without fat, the cells cannot form the proper cell membranes and the joints will not have enough buffer to prevent health problems.

The key to fats in the diet is selection and care. Unsaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids are a key to maintaining good heart and body health. In the case of omega 3 fatty acids, the health of the brain is also improved.

For a healthy diet, plan about 20 to 35 percent of daily calorie intake from fat. While you want about 20 to 35 percent, make sure you balance the saturated and unsaturated fats. You want no more than 10 percent of daily caloric intake from saturated fats while the rest is unsaturated fats.

Types of Fats

Unsaturated fats are considered healthy for the body, heart and brain. Furthermore, it actually helps burn fat on your stomach, which helps show those six pack abs. Sources of unsaturated fats include nuts, fatty fish like tuna or salmon, vegetable oils, avocados and seeds.

Saturated fats are the type you want to restrict and limit. In general, this type of fat comes from animal products like milk, meat and butter. When you select meats, always look for lean cuts of meat and cut off any visible fat before eating it. Also keep meat within proper servings of about 3 to 4 ounces.

Trans fats are the type of fat you want to avoid if possible. Trans fats are found in margarine, cookies, fried foods and similar unhealthy snacks. While it is not possible to completely avoid trans fats since it is found in numerous products like butter, limit this as much as possible.

Proteins

Protein is often toted as the means of burning fat from the body quickly and building muscle. Protein is an obvious need when you want to build those six-pack abs. Unfortunately, many individuals misunderstand the function of protein and how much to eat for a healthy and nutritious diet.

The well-known purpose of protein in the body is building and maintaining the muscles, organs and connective tissues within the body. This is why many diets and exercise programs suggest eating large amounts of protein.

Protein also helps in the cell processes and body metabolism. This is part of why it helps in losing weight. The last reason the body needs protein is a healthy immune system. Protein helps the body defend against outside invaders like bacteria and viruses.

Though the body needs protein, it is not necessary to over-eat this nutrient. In general, between 10 and 35 percent of any diet should come from protein. If you want to add more protein for exercise purposes, do not add more than 35 percent of the diet or you will end up not having enough other nutrients. You want a balanced diet to get those six pack abs, so too much protein will actually end up detrimental to your plans.

Sources of protein are obvious. Meat and animal products contain high amounts of protein when compared to non-animal products.

For vegetarian diets, beans, lentils, soy and tofu are high in protein without the animal products. Nuts, seeds and whole grains also contain protein, so it is not necessary to get all of the protein in your diet from meat or animal products.

Fiber

Fiber is a necessary part of a healthy body and diet. While fiber is commonly associated with carbohydrates, it also stands alone as a necessary part of your total intake of food.

Fiber is primarily necessary to improve your gastrointestinal health. Without fiber, waste builds up in the colon and gradually causes health problems. Fiber helps push out that waste and thus keeps the body healthy. It also helps lower your risk of developing diabetes type 2, colon cancer or heart disease.

Furthermore, fiber helps you feel satiated and full. By doing so, you are better able to maintain a healthy weight or shed those extra few pounds that are hiding your six pack abs.

On average, most people need between 25 and 35 grams of fiber a day. Dietitians suggest about 25 grams for women and around 30 to 38 grams for men.

Sources of fiber include whole grain foods like brown rice, oatmeal, barley, kamut and quinoa. Whole grain products, like breads and pastas, are also excellent sources of fiber. Fiber is also found in all fruits and vegetables.

Vitamins

Vitamins and minerals are an important part of body functioning. The body needs numerous different vitamins and minerals that range from the basic Vitamin C for a healthy immune system to Calcium that builds strong bones.

In general, most vitamins and minerals are naturally consumed when you eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains. The majority of vitamins and minerals are found in fruits and vegetables.

If you doubt that you are getting enough vitamins and minerals naturally through your diet, adding a multivitamin can help. In fact, most doctors recommend taking a multivitamin even if you eat several servings of fruits and vegetables a day just to ensure you get enough of all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

Women should pay particular attention to calcium, vitamin D and iron since these are common deficiencies women might have in their diet.

Preparing Food

The foods you eat are not the only factor related to nutrition. The way you eat foods also contributes. The appropriate way of eating food varies depending on the food and the components within the food.

In general, fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts are best eaten raw. Some exceptions, like potatoes, exist in this rule, but the most nutrients are given the body when you eat the foods in a raw state.

Cooking the nuts, fruits and vegetables can break down some of the healthy elements or change the healthy fats. To avoid this eventuality, eat most fruits and vegetables raw. If you find that you cannot eat raw nuts, try mixing raw with roasted and lightly salted for the best effect.

In the case of grains, the best state to consume the grains is unprocessed. Unprocessed grains are also known as whole grains. A processed grain, like white flour or cake flour, removes most of the healthy elements of the grain, particularly the fiber.

Meats, bean and lentils are best cooked according to the type of food. Always cook chicken and pork completely through before eating since these foods might have harmful parasites or bacteria. Sickness is common after eating chicken or pork that is not fully cooked. Beef does not require the same care since it does not have the same risks.

When in doubt about meat, look up healthy temperature ranges to kill any bacteria or pests that might infect it.

Organic or Not

The question of whether to eat organic foods or non-organic foods is another consideration. Pesticides and chemical treatments to plants and the foods animals eat is often a concern.

In general, this is a matter of personal preferences. Anyone who is concerned about the pesticides or chemicals can buy only organic foods or partly buy organic foods.

If you want to buy only some foods organic, stick to fruits and vegetables with a thin peel or no peel like strawberries and apples. Buying non-organic oranges, grapefruits and similar thick-peeled fruits and vegetables is safe because the peel minimize the amount of chemicals that get into the part of the food you eat.

Watch Treats and Snacks

Treats and snacks are an issue that might contribute to the challenge of getting a flat stomach or six pack abs. When you are thinking of options for desserts or snacks, reaching for something healthy will avoid the feeling of sacrificing while avoiding the high fat, low nutrition options.

For snacks, try grabbing some raw nuts, a vegetable or a piece of fruit. This will satisfy hunger while also providing healthy nutrients that help the body burn fat.

For desserts, eat fresh fruits. Some fruits are particularly sweet, such as honeydew melons, watermelon or wild strawberries and blueberries.

As a result, these satisfy the desire to eat something sweet tasting while also giving more nutrition. For something less obviously healthy, make a smoothie with the fruit, some low-fat plain yogurt and some low-fat milk.

Nutrition Myths

Understanding the myths related to nutrition and dieting is a vital part of losing the extra fat so that your six pack abs will show. The myths lead people to making inappropriate food selections or inappropriate balancing of different food groups.

Balancing the foods you eat is the only way to have a healthy body that shows off a great stomach. Unbalancing the foods you eat will not only result in a less healthy body, but you might find that you do not have the energy to keep up with exercises that make your stomach look flat and show off the ripped muscles.

The myth that carbohydrates make you fat is exactly that: a myth. In fact, carbohydrates should make up the bulk of your daily caloric intake at 45 to 65 percent of your diet.

Since carbohydrates give you energy, you need to eat these to maintain your energy while you exercise. They also break down gradually in the body to a simple sugar, which is what your body burns during exercise. Without sugars, the body will not have energy.

The only factor that causes weight gain is more calories eaten than are expended throughout the day. If you consistently eat more than you use, the result is weight gain. Likewise, if you use more calories than you eat, you end up losing fat throughout the body. The source of the calories is generally not important when it relates to weight gain or weight loss.

Ideally, you should avoid or minimize foods that are high in calories but low in nutrition due to the fact that you will need to eat more food for a nutritious diet. Keep those cookies, cakes and candies for special occasions.

Eat More Protein Myth

Eating more protein to lose weight is another myth. While a high protein, low carbohydrate diet will result in some initial weight loss if the number of calories remains the same, the weight loss is actually water weight.

Most high protein, low carbohydrate diets do not focus only on eating more meat. They also restrict daily caloric intake which in turn results in losing weight at a rapid pace.

The healthiest way to lose weight through diet is by eating a balanced and nutritious diet while limiting the number of calories. A simple method of doing this is by adding more fruits and vegetables instead of more meat. Fruits and vegetables are high in nutrition, but low in calories.

Brown or White Eggs

The idea that brown eggs are healthier than white eggs is another myth. In fact, the color of eggs is only related to the specific breed of chicken rather than the health facts.

Burning Fat

Burning fat is the next aspect of getting the perfect flat stomach of six pack abs. In fact, it is the only way to show off the abs because if you have a layer of fat over the muscle, it will not show.

When you are burning fat, you need to burn it from the entire body. It is not actually possible to only burn fat from your stomach. The body breaks down fat throughout the body according to your body type and metabolism, not by where you exercise.

If you only work on burning fat from the stomach, you will still end up burning from the whole body, but you will not get six pack abs. Fortunately, burning fat from the whole body will result in better overall health and will also start breaking down the fat on your stomach.

Burning fat is a combination of restricting your diet and exercising until you see weight loss.

Caloric Restriction

Caloric restriction is one method of burning extra fat from the body. While you want to keep well-balanced nutrition as a base of your diet, you also want to limit the number of calories you eat each day.

One method of restricting calories is the addition of more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Fruits and vegetables on average have fewer calories than other foods and are highly nutritious. They also give you enough energy for fat burning exercises that you need to add to get rid of the fat.

80% Full

Another way to cut back on calories is eating until you feel only 80 percent full. The idea is that the brain does not register feeling full until after a few minutes. When you feel 80 percent full, if you stop eating you will lower your caloric intake and feel satisfied with the meal after a few minutes. This also prevents the after-meal lethargy that might come from over-eating.

Planning your meals and counting the calories is another means of limiting the number of calories you eat. This method is the most restrictive and is ideal for those who have trouble determining if they are getting full or who feel hungry too quickly after eating fruits and vegetables. This method also ensures you are properly balancing the foods you eat in the previously discussed ratios.

Increase Metabolism

Increasing your metabolism is another means of burning fat. Beyond the basics of adding exercise, a few other options are available to give your metabolism a boost and make your body burn fat more efficiently.

One method of increasing your metabolism is drinking green tea. Green tea is full of healthy benefits, including the metabolism boosting catechizes. Furthermore, green tea helps fight cancer due to antioxidants contained in it. Three to four cups of tea a day can burn around six extra pounds in a year.

Caffeine drinks that are low in calories, sugar and sweetener are another method of increasing the metabolism. Coffee and teas other than green tea will help due to the caffeine. The key is avoiding high sugar drinks that add more calories than the caffeine can burn.

Eating five or six small meals a day rather than three large meals will actually help increase your metabolism. It tells your body that you are not starving and thus it does not need to reserve energy. This method also helps prevent over-eating because you do not get hungry throughout the day. Furthermore, you have constant energy and will not end up with that before-lunch sleepiness.

Add more iron-rich foods or take an iron supplement. Iron is a necessary part of the minerals your body needs. Without it, the red blood cells do not give your body oxygen efficiently and thus the metabolism slows down.

Water Helps

Drink more water. Water is not only necessary to maintain good hydration and energy, but it also can increase your metabolism. Drink two glasses of water with every meal to increase the amount of water you take in. This will also help lower caloric intake by making you feel full faster.

By adding about 1.5 liters of water to your daily intake, your metabolic rate can increase as much as 30 percent. Drinking the water cold will also help because it burns calories to warm up the water in your body while not giving any calories.

Don't Skip Meals

Skipping breakfast means that you are not eating anything for at least 12 hours since the night before. Two things happen that reduce the ability to burn fat when you skip breakfast: you body goes into starvation mode by slowing your metabolism and you eat more during lunch due to feeling hungry.

Instead of sabotaging your fat loss, keep a box of cereal in the house or get some breakfast bars and smoothies to grab on the go. This gives you a fast breakfast that you can take with you if you’re too busy to manage cooking a meal.

Cardio Exercise

Add cardiovascular exercise to your daily routine. Cardiovascular exercises, or exercises that get your heart pumping faster than normal, burn fat from the body. Numerous options are available so there is something available for any personal interest.

Cardiovascular exercises include options like running, jogging, biking or dancing. The key to burning the fat is moving fast enough for your heartbeat to increase.

For something a little less intense or for those who have problems with joints, swimming or exercise in the water is another option. Swimming also burns fat and gets the heart pumping, but it does not put stress on your joints like jogging or running.

Anyone who is new to cardiovascular exercise should start slow and gradually work up, such as only doing 10 minutes the first few days and then working to 30 or 40 minutes a day.

Lift Weights

Spend time lifting weights. Weight lifting is not only a method of building up the muscles in your arms; it also prevents you from losing muscle mass while you are losing weight.

The loss of muscle while losing weight is common. Unfortunately, it also prevents you from seeing your six pack abs because the muscles become less prominent. Avoiding this is a necessary part of losing the weight with the intention of getting a six pack.

Another reason lifting weights helps is by giving your body more muscle mass. As a rule, the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns. This includes while you are not actively moving. As such, it also helps the burn fat.

Move Around

Move around while you talk on the phone or watch TV. Fidgeting is surprisingly helpful in losing weight and you will not actively notice the exercise.

Instead of sitting down while you talk on the phone, stand up and pace. This will give you more energy for the topic you are discussing while also burning extra calories without feeling like it is a chore.

While watching your favorite TV show, spend the commercials standing and pacing or walk into the other room and back. This not only burns more calories, it also makes the commercials less boring and repetitive.

If you do not want to leave the room or stand up, fidget while you watch. Cross and uncross your legs, move one leg up and down or change the position you are sitting in. The more you move while doing something inactive, the more calories you burn.

Building Muscles

Burning the fat off your body is only one part of getting the six pack abs you dream about. Without the toned and strong muscles below the fat throughout your body, it will never have the definition you want.

You need to build muscles at the same time you work on burning the fat for the results you want. The only way to build muscle is through hard work and constant dedication. If you do not plan time for muscle building, your body will not get toned and defined.

Work Your Core

Spend time working on your entire core. All of the muscles in your body have a purpose and it does not work to only spend time on your abs. Instead, you want to spend time working on the muscles of your entire body, particularly in the legs, abs and back.

Start with exercises like squats. Though this exercise is traditionally used to define and shape the legs and buns, it also requires proper balance and posture that uses the muscles of your abs and back. Adding a little weight will also work on your arms and make the exercise more intense.

Bend your knees and slowly lower your body toward the ground until your thighs are parallel with the ground. Do not allow your knees to extend past your toes and do not arch your back.

Stand back up until your legs are straight. In the proper form, you should not need to lean forward to stand up. If you need to lean forward, your back was not straight during the exercise.

Repeat the squat in sets of eight or ten as many times as you can. As you strengthen the muscles, you’ll be able to add more squats.

Working Ab Muscles

Work on building up the abdominal muscles. The only way to get the perfect six pack abs after you’ve started burning the fat is through exercise. If your muscles are too weak or not well defined, the end result is a flat stomach without the muscle definition that makes a six pack.

Start abdominal exercises with crunches. Instead of planning hundreds of crunches, approach the exercise like any other muscle building exercise. Plan three sets of 10 or 12 crunches at a time.

Lie on the ground or on a mat so that your back is flat. Bend your knees and put your feet flat on the floor until your legs for a 90 degree angle or so. Place your hands either crossed over your chest or behind your head as you prefer. If you put it behind your head, make sure you do not use your arms during the exercise and only provide support for your head.

Tighten the abdominal muscles until your shoulders lift off the floor, hold for about five seconds and lower back down the ground. Do not lift your head with your shoulders to look like a crunch. This will not work the abs.

Beyond the basic crunch, twisting to one side or the other while moving the opposite leg upward in “bicycles” will work out the oblique muscles and abs both. When doing this type of crunch, move slowly to avoid pulling any muscles in your back or stomach.

Sit Ups

After the crunches are complete, do some sit-ups. Sit-ups are similar to abs, except that you will need to come all the way off the floor until you are in a sitting position.

For sit-ups, put your feet under a heavy object or have someone hold your feet. Cross your hands over your chest to avoid the temptation to use your arms and shoulders to sit up. Flex the muscles in your abs and rise to a seated position. Lower yourself back down until your back is flat.

When doing sit-ups, do not hunch your back. Always keep your back straight to avoid injuries and back pain. Like crunches, do sit-ups in three sets of 10 or 12 rather than as many as you can. This will work the muscles effectively without over-straining the muscles.

Reverse Crunch

Another abdominal exercise to incorporate is the reverse crunch. This specifically works on the lower abdominal region rather than the upper abs.

For reverse crunches, lie on the floor like a normal crunch and then put your hands at your side. Lift your legs a few inches off the ground and put them together. Contract the lower abs so that your hips are pulled inward and your legs move toward your ribs. Release the muscles to lower your legs back to the starting position.

Work your whole abdominal and back region by working on a bent-elbow plank. A bend elbow plank is similar to a push-up position, but it balances on the elbows for better support.

Start by lying flat on your stomach. Position your elbows so they are in line with your shoulders and lift your body up onto your toes and forearms. Contract your abdominals to keep your back straight and in line.

Hold the position for at least five seconds and then slowly lower to the ground. If you are able, hold the position longer. Ultimately, you want to hold it for up to 90 seconds.

For those who are more advanced in exercise, hold the position on your hands and toes like a push-up to make it more challenging.

Push Ups

Adding push-ups to the routine is another great way to build up your abs. Start in a position balanced on your hands and toes.

Tighten your abdominals and keep your back straight. Bend your elbows and slowly lower yourself to the ground until your face is just above the ground. Straighten back up until you are in the starting position.

Anyone new to push-ups should start by balancing on your knees and hands rather than your toes. The motion is the same, but the amount of body weight on your arms is lessened. Gradually work up to push-ups on your toes and hands when you are comfortable.

Stability Ball

Use a stability ball to change up your exercises. A stability ball gives you more range of motion than lying on the floor and thus it helps you bend and flex further.

When using a stability ball, gain your balance before starting any exercises. Otherwise, you will end up sliding off the ball. Once you are in a comfortable position, try some crunches, sit-ups and twists to the side while balanced on the ball.

It is also possible to use the ball in squats by putting the ball against the wall and leaning so it against you lower back. Squat down and allow the ball to roll up your back. Rise back up and it will slide to your lower back again. This style of squats helps maintain your posture while you bend.

Adding Weights

Adding weights to some exercises will increase the intensity. In general, if you decide to add extra weight, you need to start light and slowly build up to heavier weights. Otherwise, you might cause injuries.

Exercises like squats and lunges are ideal for adding extra weight. In a squat, you can add weight by using a squat rack, which allows you to use a bar across the shoulders and add more weight to each side as you get stronger.

With exercises like lunges, hold dumbbells in your hands while you lower your body downward. In this case, start with two pounds, then five and then ten until you are holding as much weight as you prefer.

Lowering Stress

Exercise and proper nutrition alone are not enough to make the perfect six pack abs. Stress plays an important role because high levels of stress in the body result in more fat stored on the stomach. By lowering your stress levels, you also lower the amount of fat on your belly.

Fortunately, exercise does help keep stress levels lower, so the exercise you work on to build up muscles and burn fat will help. Other methods of lowering stress are also important and can make it easier to get rid of those last few extra pounds that hide your six pack abs.

Sleep More

Get more sleep. In general, you want to sleep at least six to eight hours every night for a healthy body and immune system. The closer you are to sleeping eight hours, the better your health becomes.

Exhaustion due to too little sleep results in high stress hormones in the blood. Planning and getting more sleep will prevent the high stress and make you more active throughout the day.

Furthermore, sleep helps the body repair after exercising. The more you sleep, the better your body can recover from the exercise.

Find Your Stressors

Identify your personal stressors. This is a big key to lowering stress because if you don’t know what is making you stressed out, you are unable to do anything to fix the situation.

Stressors can range from obvious problems like a divorce or death in the family to less noticeable problems like driving to work every day or a busy daily schedule. Even good events, like the birth of a child or a marriage, are stressful. Once you know the causes of your stress, you are then able to determine methods of managing the stress.

Methods of managing stressors include avoiding the stressor, changing the situation that causes stress, changing yourself to adapt to the problem or accepting that it will not change.

Stressors like a death in the family are not avoidable and you are not able to change these stressors. This type of stressor requires acceptance of the situation.

Other stressors, like an annoying co-worker, are easily avoided by working around the stressors as much as possible. In this way, your stress levels are lowered.

Eliminate Stressors

Changing the situation, such as finding a new job if your boss is overbearing, will sometimes help the situation and make you happier.

The last method of dealing with stressors, changing yourself, involves making an adjustment to your attitude. Instead of looking at the annoying situation and getting upset, turn the situation around and consider whether it is worth the time spent stressing about it. Looking at everything with a positive attitude will result in a lower stress level because you are not focusing on the negatives.

Have Some Fun

Make time for fun. Fun and entertainment are an important part of maintaining a low stress lifestyle. While you might end up busy with work, setting aside time for yourself will recharge your mind and body so that you feel energetic and capable of handling other challenges.

Entertainment and hobbies vary on your personal interest, but one way to further reduce stress while improving the state of your abs is through sports. Joining a sport that you enjoy, such as playing basketball or baseball, will help you get extra exercise without making it feel like a chore.

Any entertainment that you like, whether it is spending time in a garden, reading a good book or watching a comedy movie will go a long way to lowering the amount of stress in your life. It gives you something positive to look forward to when you are feeling particularly pressed for time.

Getting a Massage

Get a massage. Massage is a great way to lower your stress and minimize the sore muscles that come with exercise.

Massage works out all of the built up tension in your body, allowing your body to relax and rest. While you might not sleep during the massage, the refreshed feeling afterward will still have an effect of comfort on your body.

Another option to lower stress through relaxation is taking an aromatherapy bath. Use a scent that you find personally relaxing like lavender or vanilla and add some bath oils to the warm water.

Step into the bath and then soak away your stress until you feel relaxed and refreshed.

Warnings

While you might want to start into an exercise program and new nutrition plan immediately to get your perfect body, it is vital that you do not rush into the changes. Your body will need time to adjust and you should make a few considerations about your health beforehand.

Get a checkup with your doctor before starting any exercise programs, particularly in the case of cardiovascular exercises. Your doctor might have some warnings or advice based on your current level of health that you need to follow.

This is particularly true of anyone who has a chronic disorder like arthritis or heart disease. If you have any type of chronic illness or problem, discuss what exercises you need to avoid and what exercises are appropriate.

Some individuals might require a doctor’s supervision at the start of an exercise program until their health improves and the doctor determines that supervision is no longer required.

Be Careful with Foods

Anyone who has health conditions relating to foods should talk to their doctor about changes to nutrition.

Health conditions like diabetes, hypoglycemia or anemia, which require a special diet to avoid making any nutrition changes until after discussing your health needs with a doctor. This is particularly true in the case of diabetes, where too many carbohydrates might cause blood sugar problems.

If you want to make changes to your diet for six pack abs despite a chronic disorder, do so only under the guidance and supervision of a doctor.

Pregnancy Considerations

Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should not work on getting six pack abs until after the baby is born and recovery from the birth. Such extreme exercise might harm the baby or cause problems with the pregnancy.

Any woman who want to build up six pack abs and has any potential for pregnancy should have a doctor test for pregnancy before starting on the exercise and nutrition changes.

Taking Baby Steps

Always work up to heavy exercise and dietary changes gradually. Making all of your nutrition changes and starting a heavy exercise program all at the same time can actually harm your body.

A slow and steady approach is ideal when trying to burn the fat and build muscles for six pack abs. This also applies to making dietary changes because too much change at the same time results in muscle exhaustion and sickness.

Start your changes to your diet by switching those unhealthy snacks for a piece of fruit, vegetables or nuts. For those who skip breakfast, start by eating breakfast. From that first change, make a new change once every three or four days until you are consistently eating healthy.

Watch Your Results

When you start adding more exercise to your routine in an effort to burn more fat so your abs will show, always begin slowly. For example, someone new to cardiovascular exercise might start with two sessions of 10 minutes each and then slowly work up to two sessions of 30 minutes each.

The same concept applies to building muscles. Start with one set of ten. If a single set is challenging, stop and move onto a different exercise. Once you feel like one set of ten is getting easy, add a second set of ten.

Some Final Tips

Changing your body so that you show off a healthy, lean physique that is complete with six pack abs is a challenge. Fortunately, it is not an insurmountable challenge.

Following a slow and steady method of changing your nutrition and exercise habits while also lowering stress levels will result in getting the best body you’ve ever had. In fact, exercise, nutrition and low stress is the only way to get six pack abs, so go ahead and enjoy the challenge.